What he decides, I must obey
by mugu
Summary: For mysterious reasons, the day of his graduation, Naruto is given the power of ultimate persuasion: every questions he asks have to be answered, every affirmations he utters are perceived like the truth and every orders he commands are absolute. Will he be the savior that everybody expect or will he bring the world to its doom?
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** This story starts at chapter 3 of the manga because the summary says it, heh!

**Disclaimer**: Usual stuff, don't own Naruto, blablabla.

* * *

Naruto was a really simple boy at heart. He liked two things in life: ramens and restaurants that sold ramens. Also, he had a big ambition. Though he tried to keep his dream a secret, namely by shouting it from the rooftops, becoming Hokage was no longer a far fetched goal for him, as Iruka-sensei gave him his headband one week ago!

He yawned, drank his milk (because a healthy ninja has to drink three bottles of milk a day), took his family heirloom (now his headband), and he went to the Academy without further ado.

"Hehehe," he hehehed naughtily in the classroom, as his head rested on his desk. He was probably picturing how awesome he would be as future ninja.

One of his classmates came nearby and slammed his hands on his table, which made the blond to jump off, startled. The other boy's face was both angry and surprised when he asked him: "Huh? Naruto, what are you doing here?"

Naruto could not believe this! He gestured angrily his headband: "Hey, hey! Can't you see this forehead protector?"

His classmate stopped for a second before replying right back: "Of course I do! But only ones who pass are allowed to wear one and be there. And you failed the test! We all saw it!"

Naruto flashed a grin before pointing proudly his nose with his thumb. "Iruka-sensei saw my true talent and allowed me to pass!"

His classmate looked at him surprised and scratched his head. "Weird... He may have seen an illusion or something."

"Are you saying I'm a liar?" Naruto glared at him angrily.

The other boy shook his head, appearing scared. "No! I believe what you told me but..."

"Hey, will you let me through?" a girly voice erupted behind them. Naruto recognized it! It was Sakura-chan! He turned his head toward her and his eyes glistened in admiration. Pink hair, beautiful face, smart, talented, she shone like the sun in midday!

_Could it be... she wants to... sit next to me?_ he thought looking away as he blushed a bit.

"Naruto! Move your ass! I want to sit on the other side of you," she shouted at him as if he was a retard. The other boy who was talking to the blond shrugged and went to his place.

Meanwhile, Naruto could not help but looking at where she pointed her finger... that landed on the most popular boy of the class, Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto hated this guy the most (after Mizuki of course). Sasuke who felt a disruption in the Force turned his head toward them and asked politely with a "What?"

"What do you mean, what?!" Naruto shouted at him.

When Sasuke was on the point to reply, Sakura pushed down Naruto and demanded with a heart in her sentence: "Sasuke-kun, can I sit next to you?!"

Once, Naruto stood up and saw Sakura-chan being entirely focused on his rival-in-love. He was so angry that he wanted to punch him but he felt like Iruka-Sensei suddenly smacked his forehead "NARUTO! DON'T DISTURB THE COURSE!" he heard through his brain.

When he opened his eyes, he realized it was only his PTSD syndrom kicking in. He also realized that it was too late for him to show Sakura-chan his worth now she was completely hooked by _Sasuke-kun_. So he just pouted on his table and waited for one minute... but grew quickly impatient and looked back at Sakura-chan who only had eyes for the other boy. Seriously, what's so good about this guy?

The moment later, he was crouched on Sasuke's desk, looking at him as if he was a puny cockroach. Of course, Sasuke-kun glared back. The tension was rising and their power-level were breaking all limits. Which boy would drop his eyes first?

"Move!" they said both at the same time. Sasuke's eyes widened for a second but it was too late because Naruto's lips was already on his own... Sakura exploded in a H-bomb while both boys were cursing at each other before the bored look from the rest of the class, excerpt for the one who pushed the blond and was trying to make amends with them. But Sakura was none the wiser and was already preparing her special for the knucklehead.

Naruto still recovering from the kiss suddenly sensed a danger on his back. He turned to his soon-to-be executor in fear. "Naruto, you're..."

"It was an accident!" He instantly begged for her mercy.

Her face red in anger suddenly became more relaxed. Naruto was so happy she trusted him for once. Maybe was it the beginning of their blooming and everlasting love? He saw her release a deep breath. "Okay... but it doesn't excuse you!", she screamed as she still punched him.

* * *

"... So today we will be creating the 3 man team, and each team will have a jounin-sensei. You will have to follow that sensei's instruction as you complete the assigned duty," Iruka lectured them.

The class' answer to his declaration was varied but mostly; Sasuke was brooding, Sakura was being Sakura, and Naruto was hoping he would not end being in the same squad as his rival.

After a moment, Iruka passed over one familiar name. "Next, team seven, Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto could not believe what he had just heard. He immediately roared, outraged: "Iruka-sensei! Why does an outstanding ninja like me have to be on the same team as that bum?!"

Soon after, the whole class, except for Sasuke who was shacking, roared as well: "Yes! You told us team are supposed to be balanced! How comes Naruto is with him?"

Iruka stopped breathing for a second as his brain could not compute the events. Well, he truly believed Naruto was outstanding but to see his other classmates reacting this way was otherworldly for him. He shook his head as he declared: "It's based on your grades guys. And teams are already decided. So behave, else, I'll have say a word to your future sensei."

The class groaned while Naruto was crossing his arm, disappointed in Iruka-sensei. Meanwhile, next to him, Sasuke was holding his head with both hands constantly muttering to himself: "I'm a bum? It can't be...". Sakura became worried about him and asked if he was fine as he was behaving weirdly. Sasuke suddenly had a breakdown and fainted on his desk. Seeing that, Sakura shouted for some help and even Naruto looked worried for him, despite his negative opinion on the boy. Sakura asked if she could bring him to the infirmary and as Naruto didn't want to leave Sakura alone with him so he also asked if he could go as well since they were in the same team. Iruka nodded, on the verge of crying to see that his little boy adapted so well with his squad.

It took them less than ten seconds to get out of the amphitheater.

* * *

"Want me to help, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked her as she carried on her back the unconscious boy. She turned her face to him and replied with a big grin: "No, I'm fine Naruto. And I got to train, ya know?"

Naruto nodded reluctantly, wanting to tell her there were other ways to train but her eyes were so bright he could not say a thing. He was jealous that he wasn't the one to be carried but he remained silent, not wanting to infuriate her further. Though inside, he was still imagining pranks he could do to their future sensei once they'd reach the infirmary, which didn't take so long. Sakura then asked him to let her speak when they'd meet the nurse. The said nurse quickly moved Sasuke to one bed and allowed them to stay there as Sakura explained that Iruka-sensei ordered them to stay by his side.

Once they were left alone and Sasuke looked like a sleeping princess. As a result Sakura could not let slip this situation and literally threw herself on her victim. Naruto restrained her, as her knight-in-sour-armor, not wanting she'd lose her virginity to this bastard-of-a-teammate. Sasuke regained consciousness because of their commotion and shivered when he saw Sakura's lips close to his. Instinctively, he rolled out of the bed and took a defensive stance.

"What the heck happened?", he asked defiantly. All he remembered was the moment when Iruka-sensei proclaimed the deadweights he'd have to carry until he'd reach chuunin. And _that_ didn't explain at all why he had been in the infirmary, in the verge of being molested by the pink-haired bookworm. Naruto replied with a frown. "Hey, can't you be a bit grateful we carried your sorry ass there?"

"Who are you calling sorry ass?!", Sakura howled, punching Naruto.

"Why would I be grateful to you guys when you basically abducted me?" Sasuke replied scornfully at the same time. _And why did I faint by the way?_ he thought shortly after.

Naruto fell on his ass and muttered something in the lines of "ungrateful bastard". Sakura threatened him to repeat and Sasuke widened his eyes and muttered to himself that he was an "ungrateful bastard". Sakura turned to Sasuke and watched him in horror falling on the ground. Meanwhile, Naruto massaged his jawline and wondered how Sasuke managed to get at the top of their class if he fainted so often. It didn't take long for Sakura to scream, which caused the nurse to come back and watched the scene in disbelief.

* * *

Three hours later, Kakashi went to the classroom but saw none of his students. He scratched his head and didn't waste time to go to Iruka's office. Maybe he hit a lucky number and would not even have to test a team this year. His fellow sensei replied his team was waiting for him in the infirmary because one of the member suddenly got ill during the assignment.

_Perfect..._ _I really hit the jackpot, _Kakashi thought bitterly.

He asked Iruka the students' names on his squad and thanked him. He guessed it would be probably the girl named Sakura who must have fainted, as he vaguely heard Sasuke was the top dog of the year and Naruto was publicly known for not being the type to faint, which left only one culprit. Before he left, he heard Iruka commending his team, attesting they got along quite nicely, and they would certainly pass his exam. Kakashi left without saying a word.

One second later, he appeared inside the infirmary wing in a swirl of leaves. He quickly picked up how unsettling the scene was. There were graffiti everywhere along with childish paintings you could expect more from a sanitarium than a school dispensary. It was easy for Kakashi to deduce whodunit as for whydunit but how came the medical staff didn't warn the other departments about this incident. It felt like Kakashi's day would not be as boring as he previously expected.

He sought for the culprit, who had to be very close considering how fresh the marks on the walls, the curtains and the sheets were. The first person he found was a nurse, who was behaving oddly, for the lack of a better word. Instead of being completely freaked out by the chaos occurred by the troublemaker, she was perfectly calm and answered every questions Kakashi asked as if the infirmary being in complete disorder was an everyday occurrence for her. And Kakashi was certain that one of her job's qualification was that she should have been _sane_, in spite of the different meanings the word sane had in the ninja tech-book.

What he gathered from the victim was that she was told not leave the boy alone... by the boy himself. When he asked why she agreed to let this farce continue, she replied the boy was very cute and she could not help but find his misfits adorable, and that she absolutely admired his creativity. Kakashi then inquired where his teammates where and she replied that the girl had already left three hours ago, and the other boy named Sasuke had already fainted ten times since he arrived there and was currently laying in a bed. Kakashi demanded if his situation was life-threatening and the nurse said she didn't understand even herself why he fainted so many times as when she checking him, he seemed perfectly healthy. Kakashi then questioned why she didn't warn the educational staff about Sasuke weird state and she retorted she couldn't detach herself to stare at the work of art the blond kid achieved.

Kakashi thanked her and left her to her own devices, judging her case required an expertise in a field he clearly wasn't trained and as his duty required to investigate on what happened to his maybe-future-disciples, he preferred to focus on searching Naruto. Five seconds letter, he felt some spray landing on his mask and saw the boy holding the weapon of crime laughing happily before his apparent incredulous face, shouting scarecrow repeatedly. Kakashi wasn't in the mood to laugh though and checked if the pre-teen showed the sign of possession. Kakashi immediately lifted his headband and revealed his sharigan to see if there were leftovers of the demon's chakra but it seemed everything was fine in this topic. The boy looked at him in awe and asked him: "What's this?"

Kakashi felt somehow forced to answer. "You're talking about this eye?", he replied as he hid it again. "Not a thing I should show casually to a kid like you apparently."

Naruto stomped the ground angrily. "I'm no kid! I'm a ninja you know! You gotta respect me!"

Kakashi expression turned serious as he entered in a fighting stance immediately. He hit the boy's neck so fast that all Naruto could do was to faint immediately. Kakashi conjured a big ninken along with a small bulldog. Kakashi laid Naruto unconscious body on the bigger one while The bulldog looked up at him expectantly and gave him a "what's up bro?".

"Pakkun, inform the Sandaime that Naruto requires mind specialists and the academy's infirmary has to be confined. Urgency class B. Now go."


	2. Chapter 2

When the Sandaime Hokage first received the black scroll, he'd be afraid something terrible happened to Naruto. He was yet more surprised when he read the content. It was definitely not in Kakashi's style to overreact, so he had to trust his judgement but asking straight for a mind check when the subject was a child not even made genin was overkill, if the said child wasn't the bearer of the nine-tailed. Thus, the only wild guess Hiruzen could mutter was that Kakashi somehow witnessed the seal failing in one way, or that the boy himself showed the signs of the demon.

However, Hiruzen knew in deep something was fishy, as anything of this magnitude would have certainly brought up other warnings. It was impossible that Kakashi would have been the sole witness in this case. Therefore, if Kakashi was the sole recipient of this incident, the problem had to be fairly minor. But the way Kakashi reacted made little sense. There was also the possibility that the letter had been intercepted by a third party and the contents of it had been altered, but the likelihood was very small inside the village. Furthermore, seasoned jounins like Kakashi weren't supposed to make this kind of mistake and the fact his own summon came to deliver the letter made it authentic.

Hiruzen ordered a bunch of his agents to confine the academy's infirmary as Kakashi required. The masked individuals immediately departed in a flock of shadows. He decided it was still too early to draw conclusions about what had actually happened. At least, if Naruto was in danger to be overcome by the demon, he was now secured in the basement of his headquarters, kept by the most skilled of his staff in seal proficiency. Hiruzen eventually decided to call for Inoichi's services. Though the man retired from the Torture and Investigation's section, his successors weren't as skilled as he was and Hiruzen needed the best of the best when the village's security was suspected being compromised.

All he could hope for now was there wouldn't be any everlasting effects on Naruto psyche.

* * *

Sakura's mind had been fuzzy when she'd been back at home. She had no recollections of what influenced her in making this decision. She was supposed to be at school, waiting for their tutor to come, but the prospect of staying in her own bedroom seemed all more alluring. All she could remember was she had been arguing with Naruto on some topics and then, she'd decided she'd better be off. Her parents had been alarmed when they'd seen her come back so soon, that she may have failed her evaluation, but she had assured them that everything was fine and she had been placed in her assigned team.

She was looking in her mirror apprehensively. She _knew_ there were some laps in her memory. Her erratic behavioral patterns were enough proof. She should have been worried about her professional carrier, that staying in her own bedroom wasn't certainly the best course of action. Worst than that, every times she was thinking about Sasuke, she seemed to have some kinds of mental blocks. Suddenly, she heard some noises by her window. She lifted her eyes and saw a tall figure standing next to the frame. The curtains were flowing from the ominous winds engulfing inside her room. Finally, she recognized the green uniform worn only by high graded soldiers in duty.

"Though we've never met before, young girl, I believe you're smart enough to comply with my orders," the grey-haired man said to her, taping his fingers on his arms across his shoulders.

Sakura was _really_ scared. She wanted to call her parents downstairs but she felt like her vocal cords were gripped by an ethereal hand. She learned by heart the protocols at school, and a jounin making irruption in your own residence was rarely good news.

"I did nothing wrong," she said distraught, when she felt she was allowed to speak.

"I'll be the judge of that," he replied flatly, making her insecurities increase. "I have some things I need to know, some things only _you_ know." She nodded quickly, not willing for this interrogation to last longer than necessary. "Your testimony is important for Konoha's welfare. Try to be exhaustive as possible." Her whole body shook as a leaf. The guy was fucking ominous and she had no way to outmaneuver this encounter. "Tell me what you did since you woke up," he asked.

She tried to narrate how her day went without rattling her teeth. She didn't catch any glimpse of his expression, since his black mask was hiding his face up to his nose, and his eye barely moved an inch during her story. Sometimes, he questioned her motives in the actions she'd undertook and she shamefully revealed most of them were conditioned by her unrequited love toward her Uchiha's teammate. She hoped it wouldn't backlash on her genin examination, as even though teen loves inside Academy weren't unheard of, they were still frowned upon by the educational department.

"Thank you for your report, miss Haruno," the man nodded after she stopped speaking for a few seconds. She released a relieved sight. "However..." his voice trailed off. "I'll need you to come with me." She widened her eyes, her heart clashing furiously against her ribcage.

"No," she tried to speak. But he took her arm and forced me to get up. "You have no rights to-"

"I have every rights," he cut her off. "You were supposed to meet me at school and you made me come here, wasting my time. Your mitigating circumstances are the reason for which I _only_ ask you to follow me now."

_No, no, no..._ she head-shook. Meeting her sensei under this light was maybe the worst thing that could happen to her. "And my parents?", she asked.

"Your parents will be notified in due time. I'm afraid they won't have a thing to say on this matter. Oh, and you can call me sensei from now on."

They disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving the windows open with a small note on the floor.

* * *

Sasuke awoke with a start when he felt a hand touching his head. He saw some ANBU next to his bed.

"Are you alright, kid?", they asked him. He acquiesced reluctantly. He never liked those lapdogs who only obeyed the old man on his whims. They made him recall his brother, Itachi, and the day his family was- "Good. Sir, the boy woke up, you may want to speak with him." A more imposing agent approached him and Sasuke guessed he was probably the captain of the squad, due the cloak he wore on his back. The ample vest the agent wore prevented him to identify any defining features on the captain's figure. Sasuke could not even see his hair, as the back of his head was covered in a hood and the only expression he could read on him was a weasel mask. The figure knelt to his height and faced him by a hair's breadth.

"Can you tell us what happened here?" Sasuke widened his eyes, surprised to hear a feminine voice.

"I...", he started and suddenly winced. His head was a mess. The agent before him turned to a colleague and gestured some signs. The other masked individual nodded. The ANBU suddenly moved around his bed, making a perfect circle, where only the captain and himself stood in the middle. All the agents made the same hand-signs in perfect synchronicity. A blue circle emerged from the ground, englobing the group completely. Sasuke watched the weird emblems filling the space, written in a language foreign to his understanding. The captain stood up as her forefinger and middle-finger glowed a greenish light. She traced strings between the emblems, moving her arms around Sasuke, who could not understand a thing of the ritual processing before his eyes.

"In the realm of the mind, the shadows are judge," the voices of the surrounding agents chorused. _"_Those who dread us grant us the most power. Though we are not dreams, we are the waking..."

_"_What sound should we make?", the womanly voice resounded softly, making the glyphs shine as she joined her fingers before her face.

_"_Feathers falling on fresh snow...", they muttered as the light from above seemed to leave this place, plunging the world into a dense obscurity, leaving Sasuke only with her. The place around them changed in a swirl of pale flowers. The hospital bedroom encased with white curtains dispersed to reveal a dense forest, burgeoning with life. The ANBU captain boots became hooves and her black pants were slowly replaced by a dense white fur. Blue fireflies flied above her shoulders, agglomerating, taking the form a wider shadow made a glistening blackness. The mask of the agent changed as well, becoming more rough, more triangular. Sasuke took a step backward, in disarray before the otherworldly being he was observing.

"I am the Lamb that guides the lost spirits," she spoke in melancholy. And weirdly, it was as if the voice came within himself. "Tell me young one... tell me what is hidden within your dreams."

He shook his head, retreating further, until his back met with a oak tree. "No," he replied. The half-beast, half-human figure watched him intensively, blue eyes glimmering through the sockets the mask offered. She extended her arm toward him, showing a black-gloved hand.

"Don't fear me, young one, I just want offer some peace to your soul." But he didn't want to remember. Not that day, not those dreams. He felt warm enveloping him as he suddenly felt himself laying on her. He felt as if the layers of his soul were breaking, opening. His anguish evaporated as the hands stroked his hair. He was now a little child in the arms of the Lamb, in the mist of a clearing. He watched a small flame, a memento of a youth long gone, disappeared. He now recalled the lullaby of his mother, the harsh lessons of his father and a place he wanted to forgo, to forget. Red blood dropped on his face, witnessing the mask painted in red above him. He felt drained from his sorrow, from his pain. He wanted to lift his arm toward her, wondering what was hidden behind the mask, but her own hand stopped his own, gently pushing him back.

"Let me take it, young one. Hush now, rest. For we will soon awaken from this pale slumber."

* * *

**AN**: I was supposed to continue with Naruto's point of view, but the last scene was rather heavy to write. I feel the chapter is better suited as it stands. It's not very Naruto'ish but I kinda went with the flow.


End file.
